Saturday, May 5, 2007

Feng Shui


Feng Shui meaning literally "wind water" is a Chinese philosophy about the relationship between humans and their environment. It is about how everything is connected and affects your well-being. Based on the laws of nature, its theories offer us a way of understanding why certain things occur and how to create a comfortable environment that lets us live and work efficiently and progressively.


Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese art of organizing space. It arises out of the Tao of Mastery, one of the 8 Pillars of Taoist practice. Included in the Tao of Mastery, are Chinese Astrology, Numerology, and Symbology which are similar to their Western counterparts and allow the student to gain insights into his/her own nature and relationship to his/her surroundings.

As well, Feng Shui draws on the I Ching, which is the basis for the Tao of Success, another of the 8 Pillars of the Tao.

As you can see from the above quote, what is important, is not the actual arrangement of physical objects, but the space created by the arrangement of those objects. It is in this space that the Qi flows.

The heart of Feng Shui practice is not just to arrange space, but to arrange your personal space in a manner that harmonizes your personal nature with Natural Laws. So it is important, whether you call on a Feng Shui Master, or are interested as a casual student, that you know yourself, and know what you want to accomplish.

For best results you need to be specific.

Feng Shui, as all Chinese esoteric practices, uses Qi Theory, Yin Yang Theory, and 5 Elements Theory, to diagnose and design treatments ( or 'cures' as they are called).

There are two basic schools of Feng Shui, The Compass School and the Form School.

Compass School theories are derived from a rather complex set of calculations based on the movement of the planets and stars (Astrology), numerology and other factors. A Feng Shui practitioner is often called a Geomancer.



A Geomancer's compass, called a Loupan, was developed to help with these calculations. This is a rather complex approach requiring many years of study to master and not recommended for the casual student.

The Compass school begins with calculating your personal Kua Number.



The 30 Spokes unite in the one nave but it is on the empty space that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels, but it is on their hollowness that their use depends. The doors and windows are cut out of walls to form an apartment but it is on the empty space that their use depends. Therefore, what has a physical existence serves only for useful adaptation.

Chapter 11 - Tao Te Ching

Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese art of organizing space. It arises out of the Tao of Mastery, one of the 8 Pillars of Taoist practice. Included in the Tao of Mastery, are Chinese Astrology, Numerology, and Symbology which are similar to their Western counterparts and allow the student to gain insights into his/her own nature and relationship to his/her surroundings.

As well, Feng Shui draws on the I Ching, which is the basis for the Tao of Success, another of the 8 Pillars of the Tao.

As you can see from the above quote, what is important, is not the actual arrangement of physical objects, but the space created by the arrangement of those objects. It is in this space that the Qi flows.

The heart of Feng Shui practice is not just to arrange space, but to arrange your personal space in a manner that harmonizes your personal nature with Natural Laws. So it is important, whether you call on a Feng Shui Master, or are interested as a casual student, that you know yourself, and know what you want to accomplish.

For best results you need to be specific.

Feng Shui, as all Chinese esoteric practices, uses Qi Theory, Yin Yang Theory, and 5 Elements Theory, to diagnose and design treatments ( or 'cures' as they are called).

There are two basic schools of Feng Shui, The Compass School and the Form School.

Compass School theories are derived from a rather complex set of calculations based on the movement of the planets and stars (Astrology), numerology and other factors. A Feng Shui practitioner is often called a Geomancer.

A Geomancer's compass, called a Loupan, was developed to help with these calculations. This is a rather complex approach requiring many years of study to master and not recommended for the casual student.

The Compass school begins with calculating your personal Kua Number.

See below.

Loupan

A Geomancer's Compass (Loupan)



A more modern approach is the Form School. This school is somewhat easier and one that the casual student with a little practice can make use of. Feng Shui is still powerful medicine though, and should be approached with a clear perspective and conscious intent.

A careless approach is as likely to result in chaos as it is to result in positive changes.

In this school, it is still recommended to hire a qualified practitioner for important things like building a home or establishing a business.

For the Taoist, change is the one constant in the Universe. Concepts of good and bad are foreign to the practice. According to the theory of Yin/Yang, opposing forces are constantly flowing and transforming into each other.

As surely as night follows day and summer follows winter the flow of Nature is a cyclical one.

This is a fundamental Law of Nature.

The point of conscious change is to bring the student more into alignment with Natural Laws. The more the student conforms to Natural Laws, the more he/she will experience success, good luck, prosperity, good health, and mastery over his/her own life and surroundings.

Feng Shui is the specific practice that concerns itself with one's environment.



Determining Your Kua Number

In the Compass school it is important to know your Kua Number. With your Kua Number you can determine the most auspicious direction for your front door, your bedroom or the bed within, as well as the placement of the various rooms and people in the home.

Below is a directional chart showing the associated Kua Number. For example, if your Kua Number is 4, then it is most auspicious to locate your front door facing this direction, if you are the owner of the house. If you are a resident, this might be the best place to locate your bedroom, or workroom.

While the table below looks very much like the Ba Gua, It is not. A sophisticated Compass analysis will have each quadrant subdivided into several sections, each with qualities of its own, so that one room may have a number of different 'energies' flowing through it.

Still there is no rule that says you can't mix the schools, especially if you are building or renovating.




Calculating your Kua Number

Female;

Year of birth ... eg. 1953
Reduce the last two digits to a single number.. eg 5 + 3 = 8
Add 5 to this number .. eg 8 + 5 + 13
Reduce this number to a single digit .. eg. 1 + 3 + 4

4 is your Kua Number

Remember to always reduce double digits to a single number

Male;

Year of birth .. eg. 1963
reduce the last two digits to a single number .. eg. 6 + 3 + 9
Subtract the resulting number from 10 .. eg. 10 - 9 + 1
Your Kua number is 1

Remember to always reduce double digits to a single number.

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